Evaporator unit



Dec. 24, 1946- B. c. JOHNSON EVAPORATOR UNIT Filed May 1, 1944 A2 I l Bounced Dec. es.

mm denies EVAPQMTQB UNIT Bernard Johnson, .hilundelein, ml, casino: to

oy fiction, Detroit, Mich,

a corporation oi W i 1' Application May 1, Budd, Serial No. 583,546

- near the tops thereof receiving. the upper ends oi the refrigerant ducts, flanges turned inwardly irom the side walls above the headers into subsientiel mstine relationship for forming s. top well on the unit, smut refrigerant ducts emhomed in these flanges for conveying exhausted refrigerant from the tops of the headers, a, short connecting tube joining the spent refrigerant ducts in each flange, and a well-in at leest one dense communicating with the spent refrigersnt ducts therein for receiving on exhaust tune.

The eveporntor units oi this invention utilize inetnl formerly employed for providing outturned dodges on e lu sheped evaporator unit to provide inturned flanges bovine spent refrigerant ducts embossed therein so that only n small connecting tube need be used instead of the heretofore re nuired cross header or exheust tube which food to he soldered or otherwisebonded directly to the headers inthe comm lees oi the unit. The invention thus eliminates the necessity for joints between the hesders and on exhaust tube, provides n top wall for a refrigerant unit by only adding very little metal to a conventional U shaped open=topped unit, and providesspe'nt reirigerant ducts of e serpentine nature to utilise the lost remaining heat-absorbing capacity of the refrigerant.

It is. then, an object of the invention to provide a. sheet metal heat exchanger having a top well formed from inturned flanges on the side walls thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sheet metal heat exchanger having side walls with header chambers therein and inturned flanges thereon with ducts. embossed thereon to remove material from the header chambers.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sheet metal evaporator unit having header chambers in the side walls thereof and embossed top wells iormed from inturned flanges on the side walls providing spent refri erant ducts for removing refrigerant from the tops of the header chambers.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sheet metal evaporator unit having a top wall containing s spent refrigerant duct for in. se-ice) the extraction oi the last remaining heat-absorbing capacity in the refrigerant.

A specific obiect oi the invention is to provide o sheet metal evaporator unit having abottom is well, upstanding side walls, inturned flanges on the side walls providing 2. top, header chambers emboseed in the side wells, refrigerant ducts embossed in the side and bottom wells discharging into the header chambers, spent refrigerant ducts refrigerant from the header chambers, an inlet tube communicating with the refrigerant ducts st the bottom oi the unit, and an outlet conduit communicating with the spent refrigerant ducts" st the top or the unit.

Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the annexed lid sheet of drawin s which. y w of preierred ex emple only, illustrates one embodiment of the invention Figure 4 is an enlarged side elev ational view, i

so with ports in verticel cross section, taken along the line I i-IV of Figure 2.

As shown on the drawing:

In Figures 1 to 4 inclusive the reference numersi it designates generally a sheet metal evepo- 35 rotor unit according to this invention composed i2, and a shelf #8. The inner metal sheet H is transversely embossed in spaced relation from both ends thereof as at i is transversely across its 40 width to provide portions of header chambers I l and it. The sheet ii is further embossed as at lib near one end thereof to provide a well l6 as will hereinafter be more fully described.

The outer sheet i2 is embossed transversely across the width thereof as at in to provide'the i2 is additionally, embossed as at l2b to provide refrigerant circulating ducts. An embossment a manifold communicating with the ducts lib. Serpentine ducts lid are embossed in theouter sheet l2 between the ends of the sheet and the transvem embossments Ila thereof.

u The sheets u and I: are brazed or welded tosnen I embossed in the inturned dances for removing oi on inner metal sheet ii, on outer metal sheet outer halves oi the headers i8 and IS. The sheet gether preferably when flat and, after being Joined, are bent to provide a bottom I1, opposed vertical side walls l8, l8, and opposed inturned flange l9, is on the tops of the side walls. The manifold duct l2c extends under the bottom H in a front to rear direction, the refrigerant ductsv refrigerant ducts l2b to receive refrigerant therefrom. The serpentine ducts l2d extend from the topsof each header l4 and I5 preferably near the front end of the unit as shown and overlie the flanges I9, ill to provide an elongated path in each flange having a plurality of legs extending in a front to rear direction.

The shelf l3 has downturned flanges Ilia at the sides thereof secured to the side walls l8, iii of the unit as by rivets l3b or the like. The shelf i3 is in spaced relation above the bottom l1 and beneath the flanges I9, IS.

The inner ends of the flanges l9, l9 are in closely spaced parallel relationship and brackets 20, secured to the flanges by means of rivets 2| connect the flanges in aligned relationship to provide a top wall for the unit Ill.

The ends of the serpentine ducts I2d are at the rear end of the unit adjacent the edges of the flanges and have enlarged mouths I2e thereon receiving the ends of a U-shaped connecting tube 22 therein. The connecting tube 22 is seshown in Figures 1 and 4. This embossment llb is provided with a depending nipple llc thereon as best shown in Figures 2 and 4 providing a re- 'ceptacle for the end of a tube 24. The tube 24 is secured to portion He by means of a soldered, brazed, or welded bond 25. As shown in Figure 4,

\ the well 16 communicates with the end of the duct I211 to receive refrigerant from the duct and from the connecting tube 22. The refrigerant then drains from the well 16 through the tube 24.

As also shown in Figure 4, the manifold l2c has an enlargedmouth [2f at the rear end thereof receiving a supply tube 26, The tube 26 is secured to the mouth 12! by means of a soldered, brazed, or welded bond 21.

Refrigerant introduced through the feed tube 26 is distributed by the manifold l2c to all of the ducts l2b. These ducts [2b extend from the manifold |2c around the bottom I! and sides l8, l8 of the unit to circulate refrigerant around a sharp freezing chamber enclosed by the unit and absorb heat from this chamber. The upper ends The secondary headers provided by the ducts I211,

l2d are in heat exchange relationship with the chamber enclosed by the unit being a part of the top wall of the unit.

As best shown in Figure 1, the flanges I9. I! of the unit ill hav mounting holes ltd therein adapted to receive mounting studs for suspendin the unit from the top wall of a refrigerator cabinet.

From the above descriptions it will be understood that the invention provides a sheet metal evaporator unit having header chambers in the side walls thereof and equipped with opposed in turned flanges above the header chambers cooperating to define a top wall for the unit and being embossed to provide a serpentine duct acting as secondary headers and driers for the spent refrigerant from the main headers. These inturned flanges eliminate the necessity for the heretofore required cross headers or manifolds since a small U-tube can be used to Join the ducts in each flange.

It will, of course, be understood that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A heat exchanger comprising a U-shaped member having headers in the upper ends of the legs thereof, ducts extending around the legs and bottom thereof communicating with said headers, inturned flanges on the tops of the legs above said headersnand ducts in said flanges communicating with the tops of said headers.

2. A heat exchanger comprising a unit having a bottom, side walls, and a split top wall, headers in said side walls, ducts in said bottom and side walls communicating with the headers, ducts in said split top wall communicating with the tops of said headers, and means interconnecting the ends of the ducts in said split top wall.

3. A heat exchanger comprising a pair of.secured-together contiguous metal sheets defining the side walls, bottom and top of a chamber, said sheets being embossed to define refrigerant circulating ducts in the bottom and side walls, to deflne a header chamber in each side wall near the top thereof communicating with said 'ends thereof'closely adjacent each other in the top of the unit to form a substantially continuous and flat top wall, embossments in said sheets forming header chambers in each side wall thereof, refrigerant circulating ducts'around the bottom and side walls communicating at their upper ends with the header chambers and an inlet manifold communicating with the bottom portion of the circulating ducts, said outer sheet having embossmentsv therein extending from the tops of the headers over the top of the unit and terminating adjacent the ends of the unit, a U-shaped tu-be bridging the ends of the unit connecting the ends of said ducts. and a spent refrigerant tube communicating with the connected ducts.

5. A sheet metal evaporator unit having a bottom wall, upstanding side walls, and inturned flanges extending from the upper ends of said side walls into closely spaced aligned relationship for forming a substantially horizontal top wall on the unit; said sheet metal being embossed to deflne refrigerant circulating ducts in the bottom and side walls and to deflne header chamhere in each side wall and secondary header ducts in each inturned flange communicating with the tops of the header chambers andterminating adjacent the aligned ends of the flanges, a U-tube connecting the ends .of said ducts, and a spent refrigerant tube communicating with the connected ducts for removing refrigerant therefrom.

posed side walls with header chambers therein, refrigerant circulating ducts in said side walls communicating with said header chambers, inturned flanges on said upper ends of said side walls, means connecting the ends of said inturned flanges in closely spaced aligned relationship to provide a substantially continuous top for the unit, and embossments on said flanges providing serpentine spent refrigerant ducts communicating with the tops of the headers for drying refrigerant exhausted from the headers to extract the last remaining heat-absorbing capacity therefrom. I

7. In a sheet metal evaporator unit having header chambers in the side walls thereof and U-shaped refrigerant circulating ducts communicating at their upper ends with the bottoms of said header chambers, the improvements of opposed inturned flanges on said side walls having closely spaced ends forming a top for the unit, and embossments in said flanges providing spent refrigerant passageways communicating with the tops of the headers.

83. A sheet metal evaporator unit comprising a pair of secured-together contiguous metal sheets bent to form the bottom and side walls of an evaporator unit and having inturned flanges on 6. A sheet metal evaporator unit having op- I the upper ends 01 the side walls terminating in aligned spaced opposed relationship to form a top for the unit, said outer sheet having embossments therein defining a header chamber at the upper end of each side wall together with u-shaped refrigerant circulating ducts extending around the bottom and side walls and terminating at their upper ends in said header chambers and an inlet manifold communicating with the bottoms of the ducts, said outer sheet being further embossed to provide serpentine ducts in said intumed' flanges communicating with the upper ends of g the headers and terminating adjacent the ends of the sheet near the rear end of the unit, a U-tube connecting the spaced ends of said ducts on the flanges, said inner sheet having an em-- bossment thereon defining a well communicating with the duct on one of said flanges and having a dependent collar thereon, and a spent refrigerant tube secured in said collar.

9. In a sheet metal evaporator unit of the type having opposed upstanding side walls with header chambers therein and a bottom wall, lubricant conveying ducts formed in said bottom and side walls and communicating with said header chamforming serpentine ducts communicating with the upper ends of the header chambers and terminating in closely spaced relationship at the rear end of the top of the unit, a U-tube connecting said closely spaced ends of the ducts, a well-defining portion-formed 'in one of said flanges beneath the end of the duct in the flange communicating with said duct and said U-tube to receive refrigerant therefrom, and a spent refrigerant tube secured to said well-defining portion.

BERNARD C. JOHNSON. 

